Year One

This post is a few days late, but as of last weekend we have officially lived in our house a year. Although I feel like progress has been really slow, it's nice to look back on here to see what we have accomplished since then. I had big dreams that we'd at least have replaced the old, brown carpet upstairs with wood floors, but between a wedding, two full-time jobs, and the pup -- it's still on the to-do list. 

Speaking of lists, here are the top five things I'd like to accomplish in the next year:

1) Upgrade the exterior of our complex including getting rid of the dry rot that plagues all the trim

2) Replace our windows with new double-pane ones

3) Replace the carpet upstairs with hardwood 

4) Install overhead lighting in both bedrooms and living room

5) Completely redo the downstairs half-bath

In my head that sounds like a completely reasonable list but it will be interesting to look back next year at this time to see what has been done. I have been really good about reigning it in lately but the fact that our neighbors just listed their unit that is the same size our as ours for $115k above what we paid last year gives me confidence that any time and money we do put into this place will be worth it in the end.

//one//

Dreaming of a Statement Bed

First let me give you some background.... my darling husband is a lot of things - romantic, kind, funny, handsome (you get the idea) but one thing he is Not is decisive. Sometimes when we decide to go out to dinner we actually never make it out the door due to the indecisiveness that goes on in our household which is why I was completely blown away on Saturday when we were in and out of the mattress store within an hour with a brand-new king bed!

We'd been talking about getting a new bed for a while but with the wedding and everything we figured we would have to wait until Christmas but that timeline got accelerated when Mike started waking up at night with horrible back pain that wasn't there at all during the day. Combine that with one very fidgety 12-pound dog, and we have all been sleeping terribly.

Our new Tempurpedic got delivered on Sunday and wow, it is amazing even in all it's firmness (they take a few weeks to soften up). Just the real estate on a king sized bed is enough to make me giddy. I mean, Goose still insists on snuggling next to me but at least I can stretch my arms and legs out without throwing an elbow into Mike's side. Although we are all sleeping much better, having the mattress on the ground is a little too "college house" for me.

I was browsing for a new bed frame and when I was trying to define what I want, all I kept thinking was I wanted a "statement bed." I mean, there are statement necklaces / purses / shoes so why not a bed? I love looking at rooms that are verily neutral aside from one great piece of furniture and since our bedroom has beautiful lofted ceilings, I say why not? Mike might not be totally on board (yet) but he will come around.

So far, at the top of my list is this beauty from West Elm. I've always wanted a wingback headboard and those cute little legs put the finishing touch on it.

Next up is the Architecture Bed from Room and Board. A modern twist on the four-poster bed that would fit nicely with our tall ceilings. The only thing I am worried about with this one is its lack of a head board.

And finally, there is this tufted, wingback bed from All Modern. At $836 it is the best price and comes in a few different colors. Since Mike's main complaint with the West Elm one is that he doesn't like having a footboard, this could be a great option for us.

What do you guys think? Am I the only one that is seriously crushing on an upholstered sleigh bed with a mid-century modern twist?

Exterior Update Part II

Things have finally started to settle down from the wedding and we are so excited to be turning our attention back to the house. At tonight's HOA meeting we will be voting on which bid we are going with for the fence project that I mentioned a few months ago.

Once that is complete, we will turn our attention to redoing the exterior of all the units which has been in the back of my mind for a while. Apparently I have been subconsciously logging away options because when I actually sat down to make the mood board above, it came together quickly.

Proving that inspiration can come from anywhere, the two buildings I keep referencing back to are a restaurant and Barre studio from our neighborhood. Both have a dark grey exterior with warm wood details that give the overall feeling of being modern but not cold. The horizontal wood slats would tie in our new front fence and provide some visual interest to the "planter boxes" that are outside of every window but impractical in every way from a planting / watering perspective.

If you remember, we were debating changing the siding from wood shingles to another material, but after weighing costs and options, I thinking repainting the shingles (while still replacing all the rotten trim & broken shingles) would leave a budget for landscaping. The landscaping we do have right now isn't awful and probably was once pretty, but what we are left with now are a few sad bushes and a lawn full of weeds. Throw in a serious drought and some cut-rate gardeners and the whole place is just looking sad.

As I've said before, we are blessed with neighbors who also realize the potential of our small complex and I can't wait to put our heads together to make our home beautiful. As with any project, it needs one person to take ownership to get things done and I'm excited to have my nights and weekends back to focus on my true passion - my home, my family, and of course, this blog!

Have you Heard?

We're married!!

Just typing those two words brings me such joy. The weekend was a fairy tale filled with so much love I don't think I'm ready to process it into words yet.

We got back from Tahoe on Monday afternoon and Mike went back to work today signaling the start of our new normal. I knew I'd need a little time to float back from Cloud 9 and am easing myself back into daily life today slowly starting with my inbox (!).

I will definitely be sharing more details of the event when we get our pictures back but for now I just wanted to stop in and say hi. I can't wait to re-focus my attention on our home & am so in love with my new (official) family.

The Perfect Patio

What sold us on our townhome nine months ago was the giant outdoor space. Mike is a genius with a barbecue and I desperately wanted a space to improve my gardening skills (or lack thereof) and have an area to entertain outdoors. Unfortunately, we missed the mark by about a month to get those end-of-season deals so we decided to put off our hunt for patio furniture until this year.  

A while back I made a collage of what my 'dream' patio would look like and this is what I came up with:

When it comes to furniture, I am picky and Mike is frugal which makes it really difficult for us to settle on any big purchase. Fortunately for us, we found this sectional on Overstock on sale and, while it was still expensive, was the look we wanted for much cheaper than what we were finding at pottery barn, crate & barrel, etc. We could have waited for those 'deals' but we both agreed we didn't want another summer to go by without being able to really use our patio so we took the plunge.

We've had it for a few weeks now and it completely gives the patio a new feel. We were lucky enough to have our families come to our house this year for Easter and I loved that everyone was outside lounging on the sectional and enjoying the sunshine. Even Goose is a fan -- but his mom could do without the muddy paw prints!

I still want to add a little cafe table and chairs as well as a big umbrella but it's coming along. Mike is all about a fire pit too but personally I'd like a non-wood burning one so I don't smell like a campfire everytime we light it up.

Can't wait to crack a few beers and enjoy a book or two out here. Is it summer yet?

Back to (almost) Normal

Oh, hello there. Long time, no post. Taxes were calling my name and they aren't keen on sharing.

I won't bore you with the details of my day to day but let's just say that I'm happy that I most likely will never have to fill out another 1040 (besides my own) as long as I live. I'm not quitting my job or anything but will mainly be focusing on Corporate tax from now on. Corp tax has a 'busy season' as well but it's less hectic than individual tax as we are working year-round to figure out taxable income. If you ever have a case of insomnia, come ask me about book-to-tax differences and I'll sure to bore you to sleep.

I ended up taking Thursday and Friday off last week for my best friend's wedding which was absolutely amazing and beautiful. I used to think that there really wasn't much difference between being engaged and married if you already share housing/finances/a dog but there is something magical about promising yourself to another person for life in front of a hundred people.

Speaking of weddings, July 19th is coming up fast. I'm definitely looking forward to it but will feel a little relieved when there isn't a list a hundred lines long of things left to do. I am trying to live more in the present but in truth I'm more looking forward to the wedding being over so Mike and I can carry-on being husband and wife.

Well now that you are updated on my life since I last posted, I'm excited to share with you some little updates we've been doing between all the craziness. It's funny that no matter how much life throws at us, we still find time to visit Home Depot (sometimes twice in one day!).

//one//

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Between the two of us, Mike and I have four brown thumbs. Seriously, we kill just about every plant we get our hands on.

With the new house and an actual patio, we've decided to give gardening another try and are both pleasantly surprised that the few plants we've bought haven't kicked the bucket yet. I attribute this to the the fact that most of the grassy areas in our complex are way over-watered so any that seeps into the ground surrounding our yard provides enough to keep our plants from dying during the 'dry spells' when Mike and I forget to water.

Along with the few plants we've put in the ground, we also have a lime tree in a container that's really taken off as well as a few other little flowering plants that seemed to die at one point but are now back with a vengeance.

All this luck has pushed me to take the plunge and try my hand at a house plant I've been coveting for a few years now - the fiddle leaf fig. Now that you've seen one, I bet you will notice a million more as they've become the 'it' plant of home decor. I've read from other blogs that a few years ago they were super expensive and virtually impossible to find but now they are more common place at big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.

As we do almost every Saturday, we hit up Home Depot this weekend for a few items and ended up coming home with a cute little fiddle leaf fig for $16. Right now it's about three feet high and more of a bush than a tree, but already adds so much color to the living room. These plants can be a little finicky but do well in front of a window with a lot of light and consistent watering. At the very least, I have comfort in knowing that if it dies within a year, Home Depot will gladly take it back... though I'm hoping that won't be necessary.

one // two // three

Office Update

Well it's been about two months since Mike and I ripped out the closet in our spare bedroom in favor of putting in an office and I must say it's one of the best decisions we've ever made! For the first four months in our townhome, the spare bedroom was nothing more than a storage room where we could dump all the stuff we didn't feel like dealing with at the moment and close the door.

Now it's a place where we spend time every evening. Though after living with it for a while, we have made a few updates:

//1.Hide Those Cords! I strategically hid them behind the chair in the original shot but really it was a mess under the table. Mike mentioned that he's like to build something to hold them out of sight and away from our feet so last weekend I let him go at it.

//2.  Add Another Chair. Originally I had built this space for myself but only a few days later I found Mike and I were fighting over who gets the chair vs. the ground. Since chairs are a hot commodity around here (meaning we have none), we decided to 'splurge' and by a set. The space already had enough to keep the eyes busy so we went with these acrylic, 'tobias' chairs from Ikea. It's so nice for both of us to be able to comfortably work side-by-side in the evenings.

//3. Add a Rug. For some reason, the wood line from where the sliders used to sit really bothered me so when CB2 was having a rug sale last week, I went for it and bought this 'pembetatu' cotton runner I've been eyeing. I like that it's basically neutral with pops of color & plan on using it downstairs once we rip out all the carpet and replace it with hardwood next year.

Goose has also claimed this as his room (no, not in that way...although he does love to mark every tree/fire hydrant/pole in the neighborhood). He has a handful of toys/bones and has to keep them all in here. Everyday when I clean up, I put all his toys in his bed in our bedroom and about 10 minutes later they are all back in here. He's also learned how to open his plush toys and pull little tufts of fluff out which means it often looks like a stuffed animal massacre in there but he's having so much fun we don't mind cleaning it up.

It's That Time of Year Again

Noticed I've been a little MIA lately? You're not the only one. Creative projects are sitting half-done and the only love the house gets these days is a 15 min. pick up in the morning. Yep, it's Tax Season!

I work for a Big 4 accounting firm and in this Valley, the bulk of our business are public corporations (which means our actual busy season is July/August since the extended due date for Corps is Sept. 15th). However, all tax campus hires are required to get 600 hours in four of the seven areas of tax and since I got 450 hours in my individual tax 'bucket' last season, I wound up signing up with that group again this year. Do I love individual tax? No. Actually do I love being a tax accountant at all? Not really.

My job does have it's perks. The firm is great, I work with some really kind and brilliant people, the pay is not bad, there is a lot of swift and structured upward mobility, and I am free to do what I want as long as my charge-ability stays above a certain % and I produce work at the level one would expect from a Big 4. I have always been a nerd and there are times I get a kick out of understand a body of knowledge not many other people do, but they dryness of numbers and the tax code takes it out of me. I crave creativity but can't deny that I have a knack for what I do and the praise I get feels good.

I found this article on the blog of a graphic designer I admire and although she wrote it a few years ago, I love what she has to say. The post is "On Being You" which requires three things:

1) Find your niche
2) Do what you love. Delegate the rest.
3) Design your life.

I encourage you to click on over to her full article but these three things got me thinking. What is my niche? It would be a waste to abandon accounting completely but I want to find a way to incorporate what I've learned into something that inspires me.

I asked Mike the other day if he really likes the day-to-day details of his job and he said not really... but he believes in the Company and likes his boss/co-workers. I know the grass is not always greener on the other side, but I feel like if I worked for a company that produced a product or service I was passionate about, it might be a good middle ground.

If I could "design my life" it would include me being my own boss, working with passionate people who value creativity and beauty, and supporting entrepreneurs - especially women who take a chance on their dreams to set up their own shop.

What do you think? If you could "design your life" what would that look like?

Nothing Better Than a Clean Home

When Mike and I moved from our apartment to the townhome we doubled our square-footage and tripled the number of bathrooms we had. While we love the space, it is amazing how much more cleaning we do everyday.

Looking at pinterest and other lifestyle blogs, it seems there are two camps of thought on keeping a house clean: the week-enders and the week-dayers. For instance, many of the cleaning 'lists' you will see floating around the web breakdown chores with daily to-do's Monday through Friday. On the other hand, Apartment Therapy published an article recently that broke down how to clean on a weekend-only basis.

I lucked out that Mike is tidy and bit of a germaphobe. While I am more focused on organizing and de-cluttering, he has no problem scrubbing toilets or washing dishes (no you cannot borrow him). We tend to keep the kitchen clean and at least try to throw our dirty clothes in the hamper, but I would throw us in the 'weekender' crowd when it comes to the bigger stuff. Mike wakes up before 7 am no matter what so we tend to get most of our chores out of the way before Costco even opens on Saturday.

With a bigger house, I tend to get side-tracked while cleaning so I came up with a "top-to-bottom" method. This applies the the house as a whole as well as each individual room e.g. I start upstairs in our bedroom and put away everything that has been tossed on top of the dresser or scattered around the bathroom vanity and then make my way all the way down to dusting the baseboards and lastly, Mike comes in with the vacuum (I got him a Dyson for his birthday while we were still in the apartment and it's tied with the waffle maker for his favorite present ever).

On that note, I'm off to fold laundry. My mom used to joke when I was little that I had more laundry than the other three members of the household combined and I have yet to break myself of that habit.

Image: Domino Magazine Holiday 2013 (I wish my shoe collection looked like that)

Happy Valentine's Day

This year Mike and I will probably end up spoiling Goose way more than each other. That pup has stolen our hearts! Since we are all pretty busy at work today (including Goose... he goes to work with Mike but whether napping all day is considered 'work' is debatable), we are celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow with a long hike and wine/chocolate pairings in the evening.

How about you? Anything special planned or do you purposely veto Valentine's Day as a made-up holiday?

Exterior Updates

This is the current view from the entrance to our complex. Please do not zoom in to look closer at that sign - the peeling paint and rotting wood might make you a little queasy.

Mike and I attended our first ever HOA meeting last night and I am so inspired by the projects that we have lined up. Sometimes HOA's can be a real pain but since our complex has just eight units, it's much easier to get things done and feel like your input is heard.

The first on the list is addressing this stucco wall. That little building you see is a 'clubhouse' that is actually pretty nice inside (minus the fact that it gets used about once a quarter). The wall is in badly need of repair or replacement but to rebuild it is very expensive. This issue has been on the docket for almost a year and we finally voted on it last night. Here is what we came up with (the new wall is photoshopped):

Huge improvement, no? We are lucky that our neighbors are young and share the same love for clean and modern lines. The only argument against it is that it may clash against the rest of the complex which has a different vibe with shingle siding and a maroon/light yellow color scheme.

However, replacing the siding/trim and painting are also on our to-do list which means that, although major renovations are out of our budget, we could get our complex heading in the right direction. In fact, a little search on pinterest, and I ended up finding a ton of modern houses that have shingles.

I would be in favor of replacing the siding with new redwood shingles but if we decide that is too costly, I think our best bet would to repaint with a dark grey and black color scheme. Painting the exterior dark is not intuitive but has been gaining momentum lately and really does 'modernize' even traditional looking houses. Another one of my favorite tricks is painting the siding and trim the same color. Again, not intuitive but very modern and beautiful.

Friday Favorites

Mike's birthday is Monday so this weekend is full of friends and fun (and rain)! Also, my wedding dress is finally in so I get to try it on for the first time on Sunday. I have a feeling this bagel will be the last one I eat for the next five months...

READ: Feeling lost and a need for self discovery was an overwhelming theme for me in January so when I stumbled on this interview on Design*Sponge, it really resonated.

MAKE: This healthy peanut butter dip. I haven't tried it yet but if it can satisfy my pb cravings without all the calories, I'm in.

ORGANIZE: I'm a huge believer in making lists to get things done. This online tool & app is a straight-forward approach to organizing your to-do's. I especially love its sharing capabilities which comes in handy when planning a wedding.

TRY: This spray-on sanitizing spray is all natural, convenient, and smells great! Our good friend actually works for this company and I recently re-discovered the sample she gave me -- just in time for flu season.

DIY: Don't forget Valentine's day is this Friday. With a shoe-string budget, I was searching for a few cute projects to do this weekend. This watercolor and gold-leaf geometric heart is on my list of things to make.

Image: Ali Harper

Pluviophile

One of my favorite things I inherited from my mom is my love of rain. Sure, I enjoy sunny days but give me a downpour, a hot cup of tea, and a blanket and I am content. We've been having a drought here in California so I am happy it finally decided to rain this week (I keep telling Mike we should move to Oregon but he's a little reluctant).

Although houses in the Bay Area don't need to take their 'winterizing' as seriously as other areas of the country, there are a few things that I always forget about until it starts to pour:

//1. Cleaning Out Gutters: unfortunately for us, Mike and I are both not a fan of heights which makes cleaning our gutters (on the second story) not the most pleasant thing. This year we got a pass since they were cleaned before we moved in and the HOA seriously cut back all the trees in our complex before the leaves fell so not much should be in there now. We did buy these little expandable, wire-mesh doodads that are supposed to keep the downspouts free of blockage, but neither of us are brave enough to climb up there and put them in.

//2. Being Extra Vigilant about a Clean Kitchen: I haven't seen any yet, but usually when it rains hard outside, all the ants decide to come inside. The house I grew up in had a big issue with ants in the winter and my mom was extra careful to clean up spills, crumbs, and store the peanut butter in the fridge (ever tried to make a PB&J with cold peanut butter?! miserable).

//3. Covering or Storing Patio Furniture: With patio furniture being as pricey as it is, you definitely don't want to end up replacing it year after year. We are waiting on buying a good set for this summer, but if we end up spending the money to get the one I really want, you can be sure that baby is getting a nice, water-proof cover to go with it and the cushions are going in the garage rafters before the first sprinkle. The same goes for the grill - it's already too late for the one we have now (it was abandoned for a few years while Mike was living in the apartment) but I recently took it all apart to clean it and was amazed at how rusted the inside was.

Anyone else have tips to add? Are there any other Pluviophiles' out there who want to put on their rain-boots and go jump in some puddles with me?

//one//two//

Currently Obsessed: Black Window Trim

//one//

There is a house on our street that they've been building since Mike and I moved in six months ago and I cannot get over how beautiful the windows are. The black, steel frames look amazing with the modern/Mediterranean architecture. They just put up a for sale sign and I am definitely going to drag Mike in there the first open house they have.

In our home we are *blessed* with old single-paned aluminum frame windows. Not only can you feel the draft from them, but they leave our entire complex looking shabby. I don't love the look of bright white vinyl windows, but I would take those over our current ones any day.

//two//three//

Mike and I have our first HOA meeting next week and we are totally nerding out over it. The president sent out a preliminary list of what is on the agenda and it includes everything that Mike and I have been wanting to address: rotten trim, over-zealous sprinkler system, hideous sign out front, etc. New windows weren't a part of it, but I'm hoping they can at least answer if replacing the old windows falls under the HOA or if it is our individual responsibility.

In the mean time, I am seriously considering painting the inside trim of our windows black. I am a little concerned about the paint chipping off when we open and close the windows but I read if you use oil-based primer, then they should hold up fine. I usually shy away from anything oil based because it's really hard to work with / clean up / is super toxic, but I might just have to give it a try for this project. Mike is heading to Asia on a business trip this month and I think it would be the perfect time to give it a go on at least one window.

//four//

Jewelry Storage

I was recently introduced to Stella & Dot and fell in love with pretty much everything they have to offer. Their merchandise reminds me a lot of j.crew in terms of it being feminine and somewhat preppy but it's very reasonably priced -- especially when you have a friend who shares her discount with you!

My jewelry collection is sparse to say the least. I tend to rotate between the same two necklaces and earrings but definitely was searching for a 'statement' necklace and a few other simple pieces that could be worn more often. I wasn't initially drawn towards S&D's pearl necklace but after trolling their instagram I was sold.

As my collection expands, I definitely need to update my jewelry storage situation. Right now I store it all on a jewelry 'tree' but there isn't that much room and it doesn't accommodate any of my longer necklaces.

I was searching around the web and found these that I really like:

one // two // three

Someday I want to pimp out our master bedroom closet and put in some awesome jewelry storage like Jenny from Little Green Notebook did in her Ikea Pax (third picture) but for now, I think I'll follow the tutorial by Emily Henderson and make those little jewelry blocks to put in my bathroom. As for stud earrings, I really like the thought of using something unconventional to store them like the egg holder in the second picture. Small bowls in a shallow drawer would also look cute and be more functional then my current solution i.e. leaving them wherever I take them off.

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Wedding Planning

Mike and I are about six-months out from our wedding and I'm starting to feel the stress. We were sitting pretty after we got a bunch of stuff accomplished in October but the holidays flew by and we are up against deadlines again. My sister jokingly asked the other day if I would be mad if she eloped and I told her I hoped she did!

Okay... half kidding - but as fun as it is to pick the venue, dress, and stationary there are just as many frustrating aspects of getting the big day to come together. For any of you who just got engaged, I thought I'd share.

1// Vendors Not Getting Back to You - or even more frustrating, not getting back to you with information you requested. A lot of websites don't have their prices explicitly stated on their website but rather ask you to email them for more info. I assumed most vendors have a packet they send you upon request with options and pricing but was surprised to get responses like "the price depends on what you want."

My take on this is if they are too busy/disorganized to get back to you within a week or with a response that doesn't directly addresses your questions then you probably won't get the attention and quality you want for your big day anyway. The vendors that have won our business were all quick to respond, upfront, and interested in helping us figure out what we wanted for our wedding.

2// Finding Hotel Accommodations - this one is on me. I should have started asking around about blocking out rooms in hotels a few months ago but didn't realize it would be this difficult. July is high season in Tahoe (especially around the lake) and hotels are either unwilling to reserve rooms or limit the number of reservations to one wedding a weekend. Since our venue doesn't have parking, it means we are most likely going to have to pay for a fleet of vans to pick people up instead of just doing one large bus from a central location.

Other situations to be aware of are hotels that ask you to put down a deposit on the rooms and/or charge you a percentage of any rooms not reserved which could end up costing you money in the end. Most large chains don't do this but instead you make an agreement to release the unreserved rooms at a given date before the wedding which is much more reasonable.

3// Guests Not Looking at the Wedding Website - We're not at this point yet but was a recent complaint of a friend getting married in a few months who put a lot of time into making their website only to have people call to ask for details or miss the deadline for booking rooms because they failed to look at the website.

I understand not all people are internet savvy but with so much on your plate already, answering the who/what/when/why of Aunts and Uncles is not easy. Some good advice I recently heard is to designate a bridesmaid or a friend you trust to be the 'go-to' person -- especially for questions the week of the wedding.


How about any of you married readers? Have any other tips for things to watch out for while planning a wedding and how to deal with them? I promise if Mike and I don't throw in the towel and sneak off to the courthouse that all my wedding posts from now on will be things I am excited about!

Invitations (not my actual ones) by Wednesday Custom Designs & 

Retro Phone picture by AC Photography

What I Want to Work On in the New Year

I don't love the term New Year's Resolution but there are definitely things I want to accomplish and get better at this year.

01. Send Thank You Cards - Kind of a given that I will be sending a lot of thank you cards this year because of our wedding but I really want to get in the habit of showing my appreciation in a tangible way starting with the gifts Mike and I received for Christmas.

02. Remember Birthdays - I've gotten lazy on this one. FB and texting are great but for close friends and family I'd like to make an effort of sending an actual card or at least picking up the phone and calling. I know it means a lot to me when someone does this for my birthday and I'd like to do the same. The mother of my best friend growing up still calls me on or near my birthday every year which I think is amazing.... looks like I'll need to stock up on some stationary.

03. Improve my Graphic Design / Photo Editing Skills - I had no clue how much I would love creating graphics until I stumbled on PicMonkey a few months ago and now I can't stop! Graphic design and Interior decorating kind of go hand-in-hand in my brain just in different mediums. I'd love to get to know another design program at some point this year. The obvious contender is Photoshop but I know there are other (maybe better?) ones out there. Anyone have a suggestion?

04. Pass All my CPA Exams - I could write an entire essay about my experience with those tests but let's just leave it at it's probably the biggest thing I've struggled with in my adult existence. Even thinking about it makes me kind of sick to my stomach but I've got to do them. Realistically I might move on from tax and maybe even accounting at some point in my life but as long as I pass my CPA and pay off my student loan, I will be okay with that. I need to think of a strategy to get them done but seeing everyone else at work struggle through them I think the best way is just to be obsessive about it which is incredibly annoying for everyone who isn't in the process of taking them so I apologize in advance.

I've been loving reading everyone else's resolutions on their blogs - definitely post a link in the comments if you've written about yours!

Graphic by Lindsay Wilkinson for Townhome for Two